Publication Items

Oysters, Boisterous or Scarce, Fuel Local Environment Stories [1]

The world may be your oyster, but if you’re an environmental journalist, the oyster may also be your story. The latest TipSheet points out (amid numerous tasty serving tips) that oysters say a great deal about the health of local waters … and of the humans who consume the mollusk. Get a dozen-plus oyster story ideas and reporting resources.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Biodiversity [3]
Environmental Health [4]
Fish & Fisheries [5]
Food [6]
Health [7]
Journalism & Media [8]
Natural Resources [9]
Pollution [10]
Water & Oceans [11]
Region:
National (U.S.) [12]
California [13]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [14]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [15]
Northwest (OR WA) [16]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [17]
Visibility:
Public [18]
- Read more about Oysters, Boisterous or Scarce, Fuel Local Environment Stories [1]
A Super (Probably ‘Duper’) El Niño Is Coming. Watch Out! [19]

The news has been full of warnings about a larger-than-normal El Niño, the periodic weather pattern that portends drastic fluctuations in everything from temperatures and precipitation to ocean currents and hurricanes. The latest Issue Backgrounder takes a step back to help explain exactly how this phenomenon works and what its impacts may be, while offering a parting thought on smart coverage.

SEJ Publication Types:
Backgrounders [20]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [21]
Climate Change [22]
Environmental Studies [23]
Fish & Fisheries [5]
Food [6]
Journalism & Media [8]
Science [24]
Water & Oceans [11]
Region:
National (U.S.) [12]
International [25]
Visibility:
Public [18]
- Read more about A Super (Probably ‘Duper’) El Niño Is Coming. Watch Out! [19]
Catch-22 on the Baltic — Twilight of Poland’s Coastal Fisherman [26]

Small-scale fisheries on the wane in an obscure region of the world, and a unique ethnic group trapped between being a tourist attraction and surviving a failing industry. Read how award-winning Polish journalist Tadeusz Michrowski turned this small, unsexy story into something bigger, a complex and nuanced portrait of a community of individuals in transition.

SEJ Publication Types:
Inside Story [27]
Topics on the Beat:
Environmental Politics [28]
Fish & Fisheries [5]
Journalism & Media [8]
Natural Resources [9]
People & Population [29]
Water & Oceans [11]
Region:
International [25]
Europe [30]
Visibility:
Public [18]
- Read more about Catch-22 on the Baltic — Twilight of Poland’s Coastal Fisherman [26]
Kelp — The Understory, Underwater [31]

Massive kelp groves, little-noticed despite their proximity to populated coastlines or their importance to ecosystems and to us humans, face numerous pressures and a drastic decline. In “Forest of the Sea,” author David Helvarg dives into the subject, literally, to help reveal this unique undersea world. BookShelf contributing editor Jennifer Weeks has a review.

SEJ Publication Types:
BookShelf [32]
Topics on the Beat:
Biodiversity [3]
Climate Change [22]
Environmental Health [4]
Fish & Fisheries [5]
Natural Resources [9]
Pollution [10]
Water & Oceans [11]
Region:
National (U.S.) [12]
International [25]
Visibility:
Public [18]
- Read more about Kelp — The Understory, Underwater [31]
War and Pizza — #SEJ2026 in Chicago [33]

Nearly as rejuvenating as attending the Society of Environmental Journalists’ annual gathering is perusing the après-conference spoof by contributing quipster David Helvarg. While it seemed he was mostly there unabashedly preselling his forthcoming book, he somehow found time to send up SEJ’s earnest sessions, lambast its blown-up tours and rib its beat dinners. Read his Chicago roast.

SEJ Publication Types:
SEJ News [34]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [21]
Air [35]
Chemicals [36]
Climate Change [22]
Economy & Business [37]
Energy & Fuel [38]
Environmental Health [4]
Environmental Justice [39]
Environmental Politics [28]
Fish & Fisheries [5]
Government [40]
Health [7]
Journalism & Media [8]
Natural Resources [9]
Policy [41]
Pollution [10]
Science [24]
Waste [42]
Water & Oceans [11]
Region:
National (U.S.) [12]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [43]
Visibility:
Public [18]
- Read more about War and Pizza — #SEJ2026 in Chicago [33]
Wild and Scenic Rivers Carry a Raft of Great Stories [44]

Thousands of miles of rivers across the United States are part of the Wild and Scenic Rivers System, and any one of them can help tell some splashy tales of the power of conservation and the wonders of nature. TipSheet dips a toe into the backstory, then offers story ideas and resources to help report on local wild rivers near you.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Environmental Politics [28]
Fish & Fisheries [5]
Journalism & Media [8]
Laws & Regulations [45]
Natural Resources [9]
Water & Oceans [11]
Region:
National (U.S.) [12]
Visibility:
Public [18]
- Read more about Wild and Scenic Rivers Carry a Raft of Great Stories [44]
Even in This Toxic River — A Salmon Story [46]

Seattle’s heavily polluted Duwamish River is no place to catch fish — except for salmon, which pass quickly through these troubled waters on their way from the sea to their freshwater spawning grounds. With fishing pole in hand, environmental journalist Alex Brown joins jostling crowds of industrial-zone anglers and catches a firsthand view of a spectacle that is both anomalous and awe-inspiring.

SEJ Publication Types:
Features [47]
Topics on the Beat:
Biodiversity [3]
Chemicals [36]
Environmental Health [4]
Fish & Fisheries [5]
Food [6]
Pollution [10]
Water & Oceans [11]
Wildlife [48]
Region:
National (U.S.) [12]
Northwest (OR WA) [16]
Visibility:
Public [18]
- Read more about Even in This Toxic River — A Salmon Story [46]
Top Environment and Energy Topics To Watch in 2026 [49]

Explore our 10th annual Journalists’ Guide to Environment + Energy, as we scour the beat to identify 15 top stories to put on your radar for 2026. Our updated format for the special report provides a quick read and a broad scope — with insights on climate change and environmental justice, bird and insect declines, data centers and deep sea mining, deregulation and PFAS and much more. Get started here [49].

SEJ Publication Types:
SEJ News [34]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [50]
Agriculture [21]
Air [35]
Biodiversity [3]
Chemicals [36]
Climate Change [22]
Disasters [51]
Economy & Business [37]
Energy & Fuel [38]
Environmental Health [4]
Environmental Justice [39]
Environmental Politics [28]
Environmental Studies [23]
Fish & Fisheries [5]
Forests [52]
Government [40]
Health [7]
Infrastructure [53]
Journalism & Media [8]
Laws & Regulations [45]
Military [54]
Natural Resources [9]
Policy [41]
Pollution [10]
Science [24]
Technology [55]
Waste [42]
Water & Oceans [11]
Wildlife [48]
Region:
National (U.S.) [12]
Alaska and Hawaii [56]
California [13]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [43]
Great Plains (IA KS ND NE MO SD) [57]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [14]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [58]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [15]
Northwest (OR WA) [16]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [17]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [59]
International [25]
Visibility:
Public [18]
- Read more about Top Environment and Energy Topics To Watch in 2026 [49]
Why Now’s the Time To Tell a Good Fish Tale [60]

With fishing season underway across the United States, reporters have a line to an array of great, local environmental stories, whether about the recreation and tourism industries or overfishing and the health of regional ecosystems. The latest TipSheet has more than a dozen story ideas and reporting resources to help you reel in an angle of your own.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [50]
Biodiversity [3]
Climate Change [22]
Environmental Health [4]
Fish & Fisheries [5]
Food [6]
Journalism & Media [8]
Natural Resources [9]
Water & Oceans [11]
Wildlife [48]
Region:
National (U.S.) [12]
Visibility:
Public [18]
- Read more about Why Now’s the Time To Tell a Good Fish Tale [60]
Trump Tariffs Blow Up Long U.S.-Canada Environmental Partnership [61]

As trade wars loom with U.S. allies, including our neighbors to the north and south, another kind of long-standing relationship is under threat — the environmental partnership between the United States and Canada. A Backgrounder Analysis examines deep-rooted ties over energy, water and timber. Does the brewing conflict over trade mean the long bonds over the environment have been broken?

SEJ Publication Types:
Backgrounders [20]
Topics on the Beat:
Consumer [62]
Economy & Business [37]
Energy & Fuel [38]
Environmental Health [4]
Environmental Politics [28]
Fish & Fisheries [5]
Forests [52]
Government [40]
Laws & Regulations [45]
Natural Resources [9]
Policy [41]
Water & Oceans [11]
Region:
National (U.S.) [12]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [43]
Northwest (OR WA) [16]
International [25]
Canada [63]
Mexico [64]
Visibility:
Public [18]
- Read more about Trump Tariffs Blow Up Long U.S.-Canada Environmental Partnership [61]

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